Solomon Islands Appoints Tourism Promoter in Australia

Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau, SIVB in early March appointed an honorary representative in Australia to help promote tourism activities. He is Richard Robertson, former Chairman of Cairnes Tourism Bureau and currently a tourism consultant in Australia.

Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau Marketing Manager Andrew Nihopara said the appointment was made during a recent visit to Sydney by a group of diver operators and a representative from the Visitors Bureau. Mr Nihopara said as the Bureau’s honorary representative in Australia, Mr Robertson will, as his first assignment arrange shows in Melbourne and Brisbane in April. He said the appointment is an important development in Solomon Islands tourism recovery phase after what it had gone through over the past four years of social unrest between 1998 toВ  2003 when tourist arrivals plunged to a negative growth.

В ”This is an important development in our efforts to promote Solomon Islands in Australia where most of the visitors to Solomon islands are from” said Mr Nihopara.
Australia has been Solomon islands main tourist target as it makes up the majority of arrivals since 2003.
It has been a very expensive exercise to the Bureau over the years when it had to spend thousands of valuable money travelling to Australia for promotional activities for a few days and return waiting for results. But Mr Nihopara said with the new appointment, this will no longer be the case.
“The Bureau hopes that with this appointment, it will reduce some of the costs it normally bear promoting Solomon islands. It will go down to one person in Australia and all that the Bureau will have to do is to supply brochures, fliers and posters as and when needed by the representative”. Mr Nihopara said.
SIVB, towards the end of last year and early this year had held road shows in Australia and New Zealand costing it thousands of dollars.
Mr Nihopara had also indicated an emerging market for Solomon Islands tourism industry that needs to be utilised with a co-ordinated effors with Solomon Airlines.
” There are many Australians who are intending to visit Solomon islands. Some of them are officers who have served under the Regional Assistance mission to Solomon Islands, RAMSI and returned to Australia who have shown interest to return to Solomon Islands for holidays. There are others who have family members serving in Solomon Islands and would want to visit them in their working environment”, said Mr Nihopara.
He said this is an area where the Visitors Bureau and Solomon Airlines can work together in to have visitors coming to Solomon Islands.
Police, military and administration officers working under RAMSI serve about six months in Solomon islands before returning to their home countries within the region.

by Charles Kereau, eTN Solomon Islands

March 23, 2005   Posted in: Solomon Islands